She was first appointed to the Municipal Court by Gov. George Deukmejian in 1991 and became its presiding judge in 1997. She still held that position when the court, which heard misdemeanor cases and lower-level civil suits, merged into the Superior Court at the end of 1998.

Little was a founding member and chair of the San Francisco Family Violence Council. She presided over the city's first Domestic Violence Court in 1997, and is now based at the Hall of Justice, where she supervises misdemeanor arraignments.

Her retirement will create a fourth vacancy on the San Francisco bench, which has 52 authorized judgeships, the court said.